Fitzgerald took exception to Michael Duignan’s criticism of his use of a sweeper

But yet again he has made the post-match analysis about himself and not his team.

As a manager, the buck stops with him.

He has deployed this game-plan for long enough.

He is perfectly entitled to line his team out like a Christmas tree if he wants to.

He knows all the flak that comes with it at this stage.

Fitzgerald knew what he was doing as soon as he sat down to take questions from the press, and decided to go off on one to pull attention away from what went down on the field. If he is so easily offended by what pundits say, why be an inter-county manager? He went through all this before in Waterford and Clare.

Fitzgerald is a passionate man and whenever he does give up inter-county management, he will be a huge loss.